Are our MTs really a compromise?

[CallsignBadger]

Some great points from you all

[lister]

Isn't everything?   

[ezdog]

Maybe but........?

It seems there are basically 2 different types of users for the MT overall.

Many seem to carry or use an MT mostly for occasional use and are glad to have the tool as needed as things might come up.

There is another group including myself who carry the MT as just another tool which is no better or worse than any other tool but instead just another way to get the jobs done as they arise.
I carry mine so that I can get more done with less effort.
Of course I have other tools and I do wear a pouch all day every day f the job that day calls for it but it is hard to count how many times I just walk into a job or service call and all I really need is the tool already on y belt.

So the MT is maybe one of my handiest tools really and not a compromise in any way at all but instead gives me the opportunity to get more done!

I actually have several different bags and pouches already setup for different things but the one I use most is always on my belt.



There is a pretty big step from these to this!

[Aloha]

There seems to be a few distinctions made.  Here are a few I've come across.

Having a MT on person with intention.  The MT is part of your tool box.  Its part of your tools that are needed to get the job done.

Having a MT on person for the possibility or chance encounter or what if scenario.  The MT is worn/carried for the off chance something needs to be worked on.  The MT is worn/carried for those who like to be prepared.   

Having a MT on person but on uses it when dedicated tools aren't within immediate reach.  The MT is purely backup.   

Theres no compromise when the MT gets the job done.  When the MT is reached for knowing it performs.  Even in the third scenario where the MT is purely a back up option.  If the tool performs then it performs.  This notion that its a compromise seems to be made randomly.  If we are comparing a MTs capability to dedicated tools when both get the job done,  what then?

   

[ezdog]

The one that is at hand when needed.

There seems to be a few distinctions made.  Here are a few I've come across.

Having a MT on person with intention.  The MT is part of your tool box.  Its part of your tools that are needed to get the job done.

Having a MT on person for the possibility or chance encounter or what if scenario.  The MT is worn/carried for the off chance something needs to be worked on.  The MT is worn/carried for those who like to be prepared.   

Having a MT on person but on uses it when dedicated tools aren't within immediate reach.  The MT is purely backup.   

Theres no compromise when the MT gets the job done.  When the MT is reached for knowing it performs.  Even in the third scenario where the MT is purely a back up option.  If the tool performs then it performs.  This notion that its a compromise seems to be made randomly.  If we are comparing a MTs capability to dedicated tools when both get the job done,  what then?

 

[Aloha]

Yes tool in hand that performs needed task is a compromise in the positive sense for sure.  Compromise however,  in the sense that it used when talking about a MTs tends to lean negatively, or less than, and always as a comparison to dedicated tools.  Unfairly I might add.  I am not going to say a MTs plier is on the same level as a dedicated plier like Knipex for example.  I'm also not going to say the wire cutter on a MT are on the same level as dedicated cutting tools.  Or that the drivers are on the same level as dedicated drivers. 

What I will say is that when a screw needs to be turned there is no compromise made when a MT performs.  When a wire needs to be cut and a MT performs, no compromise.  Whats interesting is when talking about dedicated tools we find the conversation again goes directly into comparing.   This brand is better than that brand and so on.  Guys at the machine shop where I worked in the 90s bought some expensive tools off the trucks that came by.  Others went to sears and got Craftsmen.  You'd hear them bust on each other for their tool selection.  Interestingly, work got done. 

I dont see a compromise in the negative sense recalling those guys choices.  I guess the word compromise is tossed around so much that many just accept it.  I am not going to use that term anymore when talking about our MTs. 

Preference aside, tools seem to really polarize those who use them.  I dont think I am brand loyal per se.  I do know what works for me and I do know what my MT can do.   When a job presents itself and I believe my MT is up to the task I will reach for it like I would any other tool.       

[sir_mike]

I don't think a MT is even close to a compromise but I can see where some might say it is when comparing to the full size right tool for the job thing. 

I just don't see how they can be called that when they can help you out of a situation that you may be in, whether it is broken down on the side of the road without the mighty tool box in the back to a quick fix on something that you just found or came across that needs fixing or even just using the blade to cut an apple up or opening a package cause that maybe all you have on you.  You might not have a sak in your pocket AND a mt on your belt, not everyone does!  Speaking of a sak, then aren't they also compromises?  I don't think they are but technically they may be!  Same with small pocket Olight flashlight vs having the big size "D" light at home in a drawer!

Just saying that you could say alot of stuff is a compromise but I don't consider it and just think that they are smaller, pocketable size tools that can help you out sometime.  I am not saying that you have to carry one in case of a SHTF scenario or a life/death situation but I would rather have one on me than not, sak and/or a mt!

[Aloha]

I would agree a SAK is no compromise in the negative sense.  I would not be without one. 

[superpaco]

Some wise words and attitudes here. Thank you, you contributed to my day with this one.

Yes tool in hand that performs needed task is a compromise in the positive sense for sure.  Compromise however,  in the sense that it used when talking about a MTs tends to lean negatively, or less than, and always as a comparison to dedicated tools.  Unfairly I might add.  I am not going to say a MTs plier is on the same level as a dedicated plier like Knipex for example.  I'm also not going to say the wire cutter on a MT are on the same level as dedicated cutting tools.  Or that the drivers are on the same level as dedicated drivers. 

What I will say is that when a screw needs to be turned there is no compromise made when a MT performs.  When a wire needs to be cut and a MT performs, no compromise.  Whats interesting is when talking about dedicated tools we find the conversation again goes directly into comparing.   This brand is better than that brand and so on.  Guys at the machine shop where I worked in the 90s bought some expensive tools off the trucks that came by.  Others went to sears and got Craftsmen.  You'd hear them bust on each other for their tool selection.  Interestingly, work got done. 

I dont see a compromise in the negative sense recalling those guys choices.  I guess the word compromise is tossed around so much that many just accept it.  I am not going to use that term anymore when talking about our MTs. 

Preference aside, tools seem to really polarize those who use them.  I dont think I am brand loyal per se.  I do know what works for me and I do know what my MT can do.   When a job presents itself and I believe my MT is up to the task I will reach for it like I would any other tool.     

[ToolJoe]

My MT is my toolbox at certain points of my day.. 

[McStitchy]

Yes tool in hand that performs needed task is a compromise in the positive sense for sure.  Compromise however,  in the sense that it used when talking about a MTs tends to lean negatively, or less than, and always as a comparison to dedicated tools.  Unfairly I might add.  I am not going to say a MTs plier is on the same level as a dedicated plier like Knipex for example.  I'm also not going to say the wire cutter on a MT are on the same level as dedicated cutting tools.  Or that the drivers are on the same level as dedicated drivers. 

What I will say is that when a screw needs to be turned there is no compromise made when a MT performs.  When a wire needs to be cut and a MT performs, no compromise.  Whats interesting is when talking about dedicated tools we find the conversation again goes directly into comparing.   This brand is better than that brand and so on.  Guys at the machine shop where I worked in the 90s bought some expensive tools off the trucks that came by.  Others went to sears and got Craftsmen.  You'd hear them bust on each other for their tool selection.  Interestingly, work got done. 

I dont see a compromise in the negative sense recalling those guys choices.  I guess the word compromise is tossed around so much that many just accept it.  I am not going to use that term anymore when talking about our MTs. 

Preference aside, tools seem to really polarize those who use them.  I dont think I am brand loyal per se.  I do know what works for me and I do know what my MT can do.   When a job presents itself and I believe my MT is up to the task I will reach for it like I would any other tool.     

I would just agree with you here Aloha 
As often in life "we" try to classify/stamp/brand things into a specific one. But the truth is somewhere in between.
You could call that a "compromise" to some tools of a MT but not too all... that's what I think.

For example, using my Surge on a Phillips screw I can put more torque to the screw than with my expensive dedicated screwdriver of which the handle is less grippy.
On the other hand I could screw faster with the dedicated one.

I came to think that a dedicated tool is the best choice for one who needs to repeat a specific task lots of time in a row.

Otherwise a capable multi can serve well and gives you some peace of mind.

Note: My opinions are subject to change while I keep gathering life experience 

[CallsignBadger]

  

[AimlessWanderer]

Compromise depends on the task at hand.

When I was running an engineering company, the multitools were no substitute for dedicated tools. They just don't have the grunt I needed from proper tools.

When I was building sets for the stage society, they were a good complimentary tool, and saved trying to find who had nicked the screwdriver now, and where they had left it. Having my own "something" to hand was a real benefit when there's five of us working out of two toolboxes.

When I had the boat and was working in the engine room, they were a definate compromise. They lacked the duty level of dedicated tools, but also stopped me having to climb out, get the next tool, and climb back in again. There wasn't enough room in there for me and a toolbox, and each change of tool could be three minutes wasted. I had multitools down there permanently for that reason.

Now all of that is behind me, and my life has changed to a more sedate level. They are no longer a compromise. A task that requires something heavier duty than a multitool, also requires someone with a spine that's heavier duty than mine. Yes, a dedicated screwdriver might be a better fit, but going to get one might be riskier than not. I'm now wondering if any of my "proper" tools are work keeping.

So in various stages of my life, they have been useless, handy but limited, a real time saver, and all I'm likely to need. They are tool just like any other. After all, a 4oz hammer is a compromise if you need an 8oz one, and an 8oz one is a compromise if you need a 2oz one.

[Captain Hook]

Hmm, It's perspective in my opinion. My dad who is a propane service tech EDCs a SOG paratool, and uses it about 3 or 4 times a day. File for scraping data plates, serrated blade for cutting banding/thick cardboard here and there, and pliers for valves. He says it's always handy to have pliers on him all day everyday. And he likes the advantage of the angle capable Paratool pliers. But he still uses dedicated tools throughout the day too though. So for him it augments his took bag.

Me? I'm a shipping clerk. I don't require a toolbox for my job, a tape measure, marker, utility blade and my Wave or Rebar pretty much get me through the day. I do occasionally turn bolts, and I cut pallet banding with the SE Blade about every other day, and sometimes need to do some minor maintenance here and there on things like tape guns etc. So an MT is not a compromise for me. It's a handy dandy tool. 

It's all philosophy of use like the above statement. Multitools have been wildly popular since the early days of the SAK and I don't see them ever being obsolete in place of dedicated tools in the foreseeable future.....plus.. FIDGET FACTOR!
[BTW] I converted my dad to MTs by giving him a Tinker he said he used it every day but wished had pliers, so I gave him a SOG. Now he's hooked on MTs lol

[Sea Monster]

It's only a compromise when you over-reach with what it can (or should) do.

I suppose the assumption is that people do that with MTs more often. Which is plausible.

Then again, how often have you used a shifter? (bonus points for using it as a hammer), or not used quite the right hammer (don't have a nylon hammer? okay, get a standard claw hammer and a random piece of timber...)

If you do any automotive work, you probably don't have every SST designed by every manufacture for every model ever made, but you find a generic (oil filter remover, ball joint seperater, gudgeon pin straightener, lugnut prolapser) probably works across a range of vehicles - possibly with some "compromise"

In the last couple of days I've done a range of tasks with my Leatherman, and with the exception of one (which was a slot head machine screw - and without checkings, odds are as good as any that even using one of my many dedicated flat head screwdrivers it would be have been the wrong size by a poofteeth  of an inch and still slipped) it did the jobs just as well as if I had made fifteen trips back to the tool box (and in some cases, dragged a toolbox 15kms to the task)

another job I did involved a bit of plumbing, and because my flare nut wrenches only go up to the sizes I need for fuel lines, I (and most likely the majority of "professionals" do too) grabbed a big ol' shifter and went to town.

Speaking of plumbing - Having a whole shed load of connections (and the fearsome quantities of teflon tape that entails) is a compromise of ease of replacement/maintenance vs a whole sealed system that would arguably be less likely to leak - but in the event that it did fail damn near impossible to maintain (and also hard to install after the building   ....)



Where was I going with this ramble? oh - Are MTs a compromise? Sure, most things are.
Are they a bad thing? Only if you use the wrong tool for the wrong job, same as anything.

[Aloha]

Nicely said.   

[McStitchy]

 

[Captain Hook]

I think it should be noted that you won't ALWAYS have a toolbag at your disposal, your job might always have tools available, but what do you have on you during your commute/daily living?
It's the same theory of lightweight trekker/hiker vs camper/bushcrafter. Weight vs Function. A bushcrafter can carry a big fixed blade or a dedicated axe because he plans on being in one place a long time while the hiker wants lighter weight for the trail so he opts for a folder/neck knife.

I don't care what your job is, a Multitool is handy for everyone. Nuff Said

[Poncho65]

I think it should be noted that you won't ALWAYS have a toolbag at your disposal, your job might always have tools available, but what do you have on you during your commute/daily living?
It's the same theory of lightweight trekker/hiker vs camper/bushcrafter. Weight vs Function. A bushcrafter can carry a big fixed blade or a dedicated axe because he plans on being in one place a long time while the hiker wants lighter weight for the trail so he opts for a folder/neck knife.

I don't care what your job is, a Multitool is handy for everyone. Nuff Said